Not sure we can sustain it now OR. Too many clubs spending too much. Too few players of sufficient quality to go round. Clubs like northern going ar se uppards by paying our far too much.
Wwould a return to semi pro really be such a bad thing? How many players would we lose to other sports?
Dunno. But if the IncreasIng number of clubs like northern continue to experience serious difficulties I can't see how returning to semi pro can be avoided.

I think the master plan was to get rid of the semi pro sides but to the credit of the Championship clubs most have just about survived. I seem to remember last year talk of increasing the salary cap at SL level that seems to have died a death. Looking at the crowds to watch the semi finals of the play offs I think we can sadly say the game is on its last legs.

Not sure we can sustain it now OR. Too many clubs spending too much. Too few players of sufficient quality to go round. Clubs like northern going ar se uppards by paying our far too much.Wwould a return to semi pro really be such a bad thing? How many players would we lose to other sports?Dunno. But if the IncreasIng number of clubs like northern continue to experience serious difficulties I can't see how returning to semi pro can be avoided.

I suggested this a few weeks ago and got shot down in flames by someone on here.

I agree that it is unsustainable to continue down the pro route. Even at the end of a career a pro player has to look to another sourse of income after RL. There is just not enough money in it.

It would be interesting to know what the players think! Those on the higher salaries will probably love it, but i'm not too sure about those at the bottom of the income scale? I suspect they want to play at the highest level but would prefer to have a job and play part-time? They may also wish to develop a career, but their contract would probably prevent this? But then again, playing for Rovers can be restrictive to certain careers, as in the case of Danny Grimshaw.

Not taking into account the leagues below SL, we hear very little about the salaries and bonuses earned by the SL performers, unlike the soccer fraternity who splash their multi million pound wages across the media.
Let us take into account, the fact that most of these SL lads will earn more in their "short" playing careers than the normal working man will earn in his working span.
The same approach can be applied to the fact that players are most likely being paid far too much in the top flight which is obviously causing financial problems in some cases.
We at FEV are satisfied with the rugby being produced, this, on the whole, being on a part time basis.

Not taking into account the leagues below SL, we hear very little about the salaries and bonuses earned by the SL performers, unlike the soccer fraternity who splash their multi million pound wages across the media.Let us take into account, the fact that most of these SL lads will earn more in their "short" playing careers than the normal working man will earn in his working span.

Do you really think so. 60 - 70 k a year for the avarage SL player I would have thought a liberal estimate. it's hardly the big time.

The same approach can be applied to the fact that players are most likely being paid far too much in the top flight which is obviously causing financial problems in some cases.We at FEV are satisfied with the rugby being produced, this, on the whole, being on a part time basis.

After all the hammer they get playing? Footballers in the 'elite' don't need to work after their careers have ended.

I thought that was the idea of being pro. If a SL player has to start to build a career after RL when he is 30+, he has wasted 16 years playing rugby and may as well of played at championship level.

In the fifties and early sixties, I worked underground alongside most of the Wakefield team of that time. We also had one or two of the Huddersfield team. Some of them finished up as successful business men with their own companies and shops. Some of them blew it in. This was in the days of part time rugby.Not a game for the purist, but very entertaining and worth watching.

thing is Bob, if we went part time, fitness levels would drop. how would we maintain our competetiveness against the full time aussies and kiwis.

I think that taking into account the fitness regime that we have at Fev, surely other clubs could reach or even surpass this level. The one outstanding feature of that era was the fact that most teams played in front of capacity crowds, a situation which is very, very rare today, even taking into account so called improved standards on the field, full time refs and state of the art stadiums. 15 thou was a regular feature at Belle Vue.

I think that taking into account the fitness regime that we have at Fev, surely other clubs could reach or even surpass this level. The one outstanding feature of that era was the fact that most teams played in front of capacity crowds, a situation which is very, very rare today, even taking into account so called improved standards on the field, full time refs and state of the art stadiums. 15 thou was a regular feature at Belle Vue.